As You See It, Jan. 8, 2014: Journalists and math

In last week's article on the Soquel Union School Board, you missed an important aspect. Nearly every member of the board was initially appointed, then ran as an "appointed incumbent." Traditionally in this district, a board member resigns before the end of their term and the board appoints someone with the same ideological beliefs to replace them. Voters tend to vote for incumbents because they see it as the board's recommendation. This all leads to a board that is very insular in its thinking. It's like having all Democrats or Republicans in the House, Senate, and White House. There's agreement on issues, but nobody to present opposing views or point out flaws. I support Sandy Erickson's push for a special election because I think it's time we end this board's self-selection and get more diversity on the board for the sake of the children, teachers, and families in this district.

Debbie Carson, Capitola

Journalists and math

Your jokey mea culpa suggests that "journalists got into this field because they couldn't do math." Data-mining reporters would strongly disagree. At J-school, a basic statistics class used to be a requirement along with constitutional law. Don't malign an entire profession because of one headline writer's haste; just own up to the mistake. Your reporter got the facts straight about the scant snowfall.